I love Cleveland. We are NOT the “mistake on the lake”* or any of the other pathetic references you have heard. (As my dear friend, Kev, says “Please, come up with something original!”) I always say “People who don’t know HOW to love Cleveland, don’t KNOW Cleveland.”
Anyhow, I vaguely remember hearing about World Environment Day a few months ago. I truly meant to research it, but I admit that in the chaos of being a Mom, I forgot about being a Green Mom, and it slipped my mind…
Until it was time to tuck my kids into bed for the night. Because we can see Cleveland from the back of our house, we all get used to looking out and seeing downtown. But that night, our daughter said “Mommy, where’s Cleveland?” I was ready to ask her what that silly question was all about, until I noticed she was looking out her window.
Lo and behold…where WAS Cleveland? The city was dim and so many of the lighted buildings we were used to seeing just didn’t seem to be there. It wasn’t until later, when I saw the late news that I realized….Wow. We participated.
Cleveland turned off non-essential lights to recognize World Environment Day! We are moving in the right direction. We may be a bit behind other regions, but just like greening our daily lives, every step is a step in the right direction.
No more “mistake” jokes, okay? New motto: Green City Blue Lake….
(* The important thing to remember about the Cuyahoga River catching on fire nearly 40 years ago is that it sparked an EPA movement that fought for strict regulations on industrial pollution and resulted in legislation aimed at cleaning up the nation’s rivers, including the passage of the Clean Water Act (less than a year after the incident). I think we should be proud, not ashamed.)
photos by: www.urbanplanet.org
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So, did turning off “non-essential” lights cause chaos? If not why can’t / doesn’t Cleveland and just about every municipality do it year ’round?
Some of these city names don’t travel far. About the most general impression people have of Cleveland is “boring.” And that’s at least 50% Drew Carey’s fault.
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Temple – nope, no chaos! It was mainly the illuminations of buildings, high-rises and architecture… therefore, NON-essential. I imagine the reason it’s not done more (anywhere) is because what city wants to look dark, dreary and unappealing in the night. That’s essentially what it did…dim the visual appeal.
And it saddens me that Cleveland would be considered boring. Not to turn this into a pro-Cleveland rebuttal, BUT it’s far from boring. Foremost, culture is thriving around here. We have extraordinary museums (Cleveland Museum of Art – amazing!); a theater district that is second only to Broadway in number of productions; endless arts, music and cultural festivals; incredible restaurants that range from fine dining to pure ethnic eateries; great nightlife; retail districts that could consume the best of shoppers; amusement and water parks; an amazing string of beautiful Metroparks; water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter months; plenty of pro-sports teams to support; terrific wineries and breweries; music venues galore; and just a really rich, diverse cultural heritage that makes this a pretty special place if you just take the time to explore.
Now…despite Drew Carey, do you still think we sound boring?
What, sorry, I fell asleep … JUUUST kidding. I didn’t say I agreed with the perception. You forgot the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
Has there been any follow up or articles about how much it saved? New motto: dreary at night, planet’s delight!
Temple
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Addendum, OOOOH, that’s what CommentLuv does. I must investigate how to get that!
Temple Starks last blog post..McMurphy Couldn’t Sell Hydrogen Cars
Temple – okay, you trouble maker!
No, I didn’t single out the Rock Hall, but lumped it into the “extraordinary museums” category! (See! There are even tons of cool stuff under a singular category!!!)
The media didn’t cover World Environment Day and I truly doubt that many cities measured the difference that it made….sadly enough.
And I’m happy that CommentLuv gave you a cheap thrill!!!!
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